Category Archives: weight loss

It’s been a busy couple of weeks. In my last post, I revealed I need to start working out. It hasn’t been an easy process. I HAVE been going to the gym and pool. So there’s that. However, after I am done, I want ALL the calories. ALL the calories in the world! In.My.Belly. I’m thinking that’s not going to work in my favor as far as losing weight, so I need to make some changes there as well. Right now, the goal is just to move more than before, and take things step by step. More changes will come, but for now, I’m starting with making moving around a new habit.

Look, I am a firm believer that most people don’t really change all that much. People are who they are, and that’s that. People don’t magically become a totally different person, and if they tell you they are, they are full of shit. People’s edges wear off a little, they get new habits, but the core of who they are is what it is. For example, I have a temper. I have a batshit crazy, will rip your face off temper. I also am a grown woman who knows it’s not cute to be losing her temper and doing the crazy stuff I used to do when I was younger, so I work hard at trying to maintain my temper. Don’t be mistake, I can snap back to the rage of my youth in a New York second, but for the most part, I keep it on the level. I am a woman who loves ice cream and chocolate. That’s not gonna change. I just know that I’m at an age where I need to eat more salads these days. So I will give it a go….

….after I take the kids for ice cream tonight, that is. Rome wasn’t built in a day.

In other news, I had a great trip visiting my dad and stepmother this weekend. The kids and I drove down to his house, about a 5 1/2 hour drive. They watched the kids for me the first night so I could make a few stops to see friends. The first stop was my good friend’s grandmother’s 90th birthday. Yes, my vacation started off with a 90th birthday party, and it was amazing. We didn’t tell her I was coming, and surprised her. I spent a lot of time at her house in my early 20’s, and she was like another grandmother to me. I walked in and she looked absolutely delighted to see me, giving me hug after hug after hug. She hadn’t aged a bit since I had met her, even though decades had passed. We were so happy to see each other (it had been about 5 years) and it was an utter joy and honor to be there for her birthday. My friend’s family and other friends were there and I hadn’t seen many of them in years. People were coming up to give me big hugs and ask about my husband and kids, asking how we all were. Some of the folks there were kids when they first met me, but they remembered me and ran up to give me a hug. I was so touched by all the love and friendship.

After the party, I headed the half hour back to where my dad lives to have a late dinner with another one of my good friends. It’s funny, my friends down there are all parents, and we don’t talk much on the phone. We’ll send the occasional facebook message, or touch base a few times a year, but as soon as we get together you can’t shut us up. We fall right back into our friendships like not even a day has passed us by. We’re all the same kids who were running amuck back in the day, creating chaos and hanging out for days on end. These are some of the people who know me the best. They know who I’ve always been, where I come from, and they know that I’m still that same girl, if not a little older, wiser, and ok, calmer. We’re all very different from each other, and there’s a lot we probably disagree on. But what we do have is a history of good and bad times, a solid knowledge of each other, and we agree to disagree. It’s times when I go down there to visit that I am always touched by how long we’ve been friends and how lucky I am to have had friends that long. While she doesn’t live down south, I am still friends with my first best friend from school. If something happens, she knows me through and through. When I do a facebook post about my mom, she and my friends from down south always comment. They knew her well and loved her too.

Sunday and Monday I hung out with my dad and step mom. We went boating, went out to eat, fished, and sat around talking with my step brother and his family. I wish I could have stayed a few extra days. There never seems to be enough time with my dad. He’s the quiet sort. He has a lifetime of amazing stories that he never thinks to tell anyone, until he suddenly will mention something off hand and I have to say “wait…what?” I’m fascinated by all the things he knows and has done, but I know he’ll never tell me it all. Not because he doesn’t want to, he just doesn’t think to. I don’t think he realizes how interesting he is.

The drive home with the kids was actually one of the best long road trips in a while. The three of us laughed and laughed, told stories, listened to comedy shows on netflix, and it was a nice no-pressure time. I didn’t have to be mom, which can sometimes be exhausting. Momming is hard, man. I’m a mom first, their friend second. With the husband working, I have to be the bad guy more than I’d like….having them pick up after themselves, reminding about homework, saying no to stuff. Sometimes it’s nice to just be another person in the car. My daughter asked why I call my dad’s house home as well as our house. “Wherever your parents are is home” was my response. “When you grow up, and have a family of your own, or a career of your own, wherever Daddy and I are will be your home too. You’re always welcome there, you’ll always be loved there, and home is where the love is.” I’m glad I got to tell the kids that. They both seemed to like that answer, and I saw them both settle into a little smile.

Well, life is short, and ice cream is yummy, so I’m off to treat the kiddos (and myself). Tomorrow, I’ll try and eat a salad. Everything in moderation.

I know it’s been a while since I posted. I’ve been pretty busy. Yes, yes, I know that is what everyone says, but in this case, it’s true! Aside from the usual working mother of 2, wife, and the normal day to day chaos, I have been trying very hard to live the “yes” life. I thought perhaps it’s time to do an update on how it’s going.

I started this after lamenting about the extra weight that has cropped up on my the past 10 years or so. After mulling it over and feeling a bit sorry for myself, a memory of a conversation I had with my mother popped in my head. She once told me how proud she was of me for my determination and independence. I remember her telling me how I seemed to just set my mind to things and DO them. It seemed logical that I could apply this mentality to losing some weight. I talked myself into it. I COULD do it. I just needed to set my mind to it, and to make a plan. I realized I am not a big fan of the gym, but I like being active. The first thing I did was start going to an Aqua Zumba class on Mondays. You know what? I LOVE it. LOOOVVVVEEEE it. It makes me feel great and I have a good time. I actually look forward to Mondays…how is that even possible? The AZ class led me to take a deep water fit class. I started losing a bit of weight. I realized, now that I was a bit more active, that much of my problem thus far was that I wasn’t doing much at all before I started the classes. I had gotten up, dropped the kids off, and gone to work all day. Then I would come home, get the kids fed and ready for bed, and then watched TV. I wasn’t doing much for me.

I needed to make some changes, and it started with the mindset that I would say “yes” more. Because I was saying yes more, I felt less guilty when I had to say no. When my son’s soccer coach couldn’t coach this season, and nobody else volunteered. I said yes. I have help, and I had some learning to do, but I am doing it! I will tell you…it’s the best damned thing ever. I love it. It’s not always easy, and 10 year old boys will give you a run for your money, but on the whole, it’s been fantastic. I feel ike I have done something positive, I get some excercise, and it’s been so much fun. My son said he was proud of me. That was worth the price of admission right there!

I am saying yes to plans, and finding ways to do things for me, as well as the kids. I took a trip to NYC 3 days ago to go see one of my favorite authors do a reading. Before, I likely would have made excuses, but this time I was determined to go. One night to myself to do something I enjoyed was a complete recharge. I notice that since I have been saying yes more, I am finding time to not only do more things with the kids, but for myself as well.

The end result? I am happier. I guess what they say is true, a happy wife is a happy life, because our household seems happier. It also seems healthier. The kids are supportive of me going to excercise classes 2x a week (the Y has a childcare room they go to for an hour where they draw, play or hang out). My husband is supportive as well. We’re all eating better. We exercise more. My son, who never learned how to ride a bike, learned (in the rain) because he asked me to teach him, and I said yes. I had always thought it would have to be something my husband taught him, but nope! I set my mind to teach him and it worked! I am trying to silence the negative inner voice in my head and replace it with a positive, happy one. It’s a work in progress, but it’s getting better all the time.

Have I lost weight? Yup, so far it’s 16 lbs. I gained 3 back, then lost them again. It’s a process. Hopefully it will keep disappearing with a bit of work, and staying active.

Ok, so I haven’t quite gotten the hang of saying yes more to the housework.